A document distribution system may be provided, which automatically distributes document data scanned from an original document to a desired destination, for example, as described in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-97586, the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-208934, and the US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0068638.
In order to modify the existing system into the document distribution system, a distribution server for providing the above-described document distribution function needs to be newly installed. Further, the existing document input apparatus that scans the original document into the document data and sends the document data to the distribution server needs to be upgraded to use the document distribution function provided by the newly installed distribution server. For example, in the case of the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-97586, the existing document input apparatus is installed with a specially designed application.
However, it is not practical to require the user to update every input apparatus in the existing system. In order to allow the existing input apparatus to use the document distribution function provided by the newly installed distribution server without installation of the specially designed application, the distribution server may be caused to monitor a specific folder. When any document data is stored in the specific folder, the distribution server may allow the user to use the document distribution function with respect to the document data stored in the specific folder. While this technique of setting a specific folder for the document distribution function allows the existing input apparatus to use the document distribution function, it may also allow any unauthorized apparatus to use the document distribution function as long as the apparatus has access to the specific folder.
In view of the above, there is a need for a technique of allowing only the authorized apparatus to use the document distribution function without requiring installation of the specially designed application.